LETTER: Family of war heroes sought

Published:07:00Tuesday 21 January 2014

West Wittering lost four members of the same family in the first world war who are commemorated in the village hall.

They were three brother soldiers, Charles, Albert and Walter Kewell, who were all in the Royal Sussex Regiment, and Herbert Kewell who was ship’s cook on HMS Queen Mary, the battlecruiser which blew up at the Battle of Jutland.

There was a surviving brother, George, who was well-known in the Witterings as he was the only taxi driver during the emergency in the second world war and the billeting officer for the Witterings Home Guard.

In 1988, the West Wittering Sailing Club named a beacon Fenner after the famous Fenner brothers of West Wittering who served in Drake’s fleet at the Spanish Armada and the club has decided to do something similar to remember the Kewell brothers on the centenary of the outbreak of the war to end all wars.

We want to name one of our racing marks Kewell.

We would like to involve any Kewells who are related to the brothers and have made enquiries but, so far, have drawn a blank.

It would be wonderful if we could make contact through the columns of the Observer. If anybody can help us contact any members of the Kewell family who are related to the brothers please email me on davidswayne@onetel.com.